Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) is a standout in the Arlington community, in the Northern Virginia region and in the Washington Metropolitan area. With the focus in health care these days being on patient experience, VHC excels in that arena. Between the outstanding medical professionals that are employed there coupled with its magnet nursing status that shines brightly among the performance of its nurses and coupled with the appropriate culture within the hospital, it is easy to see why the hospital continues to get top ratings.
Everyone, in every way, genuinely cares about the patients and it shows. My mother has been a patient there on various occasions and, most recently, as an elder of 100 years old. She was treated with the utmost respect replete with absolute kindness. Importantly, no ageism was exhibited or imposed.
In December, I was a patient in the Emergency Department in the aftermath of a car accident in which my car was totaled. My experience left me with a positive impression of being treated with compassion and the recipient of thorough, expedient and vital medical care.
While competitors in the region probably envy the achievements of VHC and ponder its success wondering why they, too, cannot attain VHC’s high degree of excellence, it is easy to decipher the differences. VHC has all the fine-tuned ingredients integrated into their recipe for success in the the provision of notable medical care amidst a group of employees who have observable passion and “fire in the belly” for what they do to help others.
As Chief of Medicine, Dr. Lawrence Stein, is an exemplary role model of that passion. Devoting many and long hours at the hospital, he is a mover and a shaker who goes the extra mile to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all staff. He adds the personal touch to his interactions with patients which makes for a memorable experience.
As one who previously worked in a professional capacity in the medical arena, I am, perhaps, a keen observer and astute judge of the hospital environment, its professional pursuits and the ultimate patient experience. Assuredly, VHC is the best, and the hospital has every reason to be proud of the legacy it continues to build.
Karen L. Bune
Arlington
Karen L. Bune is an adjunct professor at Marymount University, and a former patient relations manager for a medical entity.